Stormwater Management Educational Materials for Central Massachusetts Municipalities

Abstract

Stormwater runoff is the leading cause of water pollution in the United States. To help with this issue, the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued an updated Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System permit for Massachusetts in April 2016, which includes more stringent requirements. Municipalities in Massachusetts anticipate struggling to comply with the permit given their limited resources. The goal of this project, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition, was to develop educational materials to help municipal officials comply with the permit. From our interviews and survey, we created a compliance guideline and provided suggestions for municipalities on preparing for the permit